British Castle
Caerphilly Castle
The Castle
Caerphilly Castle stands in the town of the same name which is 7 miles to the north of Cardiff in Wales. It was started in 1268, took around 10 years to complete and is one of the largest castles in Europe. In addition to being a fortress, Caerphilly was also used as an administrative and revenue collection centre at one time.
The castle stands on a 30 acre site, is concentric in design and was surrounded by water. The outer ward consisted of a low curtain wall with gatehouses to the east and west sides. The inner ward had a much higher curtain wall with round corner towers and two gatehouses to compliment the ones in the outer ward. The gap between the outer wall and the castle proper was designed to be too great for normal weapons to be effective, thus providing an additional defence.
The inner east gatehouse is made up of two D-shaped towers joined by a central passage with a portcullis at both ends. It housed the residential accommodation and was the main entrance into the inner ward. The great hall and state apartments stood along the south curtain wall and although now ruinous the remains date from the 14th century. The north east tower and the south east tower also stand in ruins. The north west tower however is remarkably well preserved and now houses an exhibition about Welsh castles.
Two man-made lakes, one to the north and one to the south, formed additional defences for the castle. These lakes stood on earth platforms strengthened by buttresses and towers and were joined by a moat.
The castle was handed over to the state in 1950 and is now managed by Cadw. For opening times, admission fees and other information please visit their Caerphilly Castle pages.